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Dos and Don’ts for Using Video in Email

Posted on February 21, 2014
by Beth Negus Viveiros

As the technology to showcase it improves, so does the use of video as an engagement device in email. Chief Marketer recently talked about dos and don’ts for using video in email with Matt Highsmith, founder/CEO of TailoredMail, which recently introduced a new video-in-email solution.

Get personal: Use an overlay on the email image to entice the recipient to play. “Do an overlay on the ‘playback poster’—for example, a video highlighting a new SUV could have the tagline ‘Joe, can you see yourself in a new Chevrolet Equinox?’” says Highsmith. “This will make the video more dynamic and double the chance of them watching.”

Keep it short: If you want someone to watch, keep it under 60 seconds. “I’m not sure if there’s some psychological reason why people bail if it goes over a minute, but under a minute seems to be the sweet spot to get people to watch the whole thing.”

Go high-def: Take into consideration that a viewer might want to expand the video to full screen. Encode your video at the highest possible value available so it still looks great when they expand it.

Never set your video to autoplay: This one is basic. It annoys everyone. Don’t do it.

Don’t let your video overpower your message: Videos are great for engagement, but make sure that the video doesn’t distract from your call to action. Make sure that your video complements—rather than competes with—the core message you want to deliver.